Peanut-shelling machine.



R. M. NEWLAND.; Y PEANUT SHELLINQ MAOHINB. A rrmofnon num 35.16.31. laos.

' Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

n. M. NBWLAN'D. PEANUT SHELLING MACHINE.

l APLIOATION FILED JAN; 31. 1908.

' 'Patented Nov. 3o', 1909.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gnou/dou R M. Newbcmjd Witnaqluo EES- 5- R. MJNEWLAND.

' PEANUT 'SHELLING MACHINE.

urLtoA'nqN mnn JAN.`31, 190s.

PantedNov. 30', '1909).

. aumentos n. MINE'WLAND.

. l PEANUT SHELLING MACHINE. APPLmAfnoN mm1) JAN. s1, mos.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

. ,.2 V5 .AL 7

R Newland R. M. NEWLAND. PEANUT SHBLLING MACHINE. APPLIoATmN FILED 'AN. al; 1908.

Patented Nv. so, 1909.

s simu-snm s.

R.'M.NemLa-a alms 'ROBERT 'N IWLAND, 02E SEAFORD, DELAWARE.

:enan-nlrgsnnnmne Macmnn.

senese.

spcification .of Letters hier# Patented. Nov. 30, 1909.

Application sled January a1, 190.8. Serial n.91. stacca To all 'whom 'it may concern.'

-Bc it known that I, ROBERT M. NEWLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seaford, in the county of Sussex, State of Delaware, have invented certain new and us'efu-l Improvements in P eanut-Shelling Machines; and I do hereby declare the following 'to 'be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will 'enableg others skilled inthe art to which it apperl- `tains to make and use the same.

The vpresent invention relates to peanut shelling machines and it aims, generally, to provide an exceedingly simple, inexpensive andeflicient machine of that type of shell- ,ing machine .which includes a grate, a rubber movable across vthe grate bars and a movable screen disposed beneath the grate. Machines of this type, however, are generally defective, in that an u'nsu'iiicientse aration of the nuts from the shells is causedp ing of thescreen in such a manner as to tie capable merely of an endwise reciprocation in a virtually horizont-al plane, such movement 'failing to shake the nuts and shells which fall onthe screen through thespaces' between the grate bars to permit the nuts to pass throu h the meshes of .the screen and fall onto tie usual discharge chute. I

other words, it has been foundnecessaryin shellingl machines of this type to impart a series of shocks in rapid succession to the screen in order to effectively separate the .nuts and shells. I' i 'Y It is the primarybbject of this invention therefore, which the vscreen is not only subjected to ta series-of shocks from an oscillating member,-

.but is also -so disposed within the machine casing as to present an inclined surface along which` the nuts and shells travel, thus materially assistinfr the separation, the shaking devices being 2located at the-freesend ofthe screen below the Vplane ofv its horizontal pivot, which latteris located atthe'upper n end-of the screen.

The invention further resides in the par' ti cular construction of the screen; in the particular deviceseniployed for 'shaking ythe screen; ,and 1n the particular mannerV in which such devices arejfmounted and Aare operated.

*The invention `i:ffii,lirifliteli contemplates the provision. of' an 'improved' rubber, compris? by the mount-,7

to provide a shelling ,inachine in i thesides at one en ling front' and rear members arranged in cranked main drive shaft of the machine.

The invention still further resides in the provision of rollers which are secured to the vinner walls of the front and rear sides of the machine and are adapted `to Contact with the adjacent longitudinal edges of the rubber, to hold the latter in place and prevent upward niovcment thereof during-its travel.

The invention finally resides in the specific construction of the grate, and its disposition withinthe machine casing in such a manner as toplermit its removal therefrom.

' The-above mentioned and other features which comprise the subject matter of this case will be readily understood from a consideration of thev following detailed description, and their preferred embodimentv is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in whichl corresponding parts are designated by similar reference numerals in the several views.`

0f the said drawings'z-Figure l is a front elevation of the improved shelling machine.l Fig. 2 is a. vertical section therethrough. Fig. 8 is an end elevation. Fig. l is a transverse 'vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig/1. Fig. 5 is a top .plan view. Figs 6, 7 and 8 are enlarged perspective views respectively of the grate, the rubber and the screen.'

In Fig. 1, the frontwallof the machine frame is removed `for clearness of ilustration.v 4

The machine shown in said drawings, comprises a frame walls or sides 1 and 2, and end walls 3 and the main drive shaft 5 journaled in bearings' mounted u on the upper edgesof (lof the frame; a grate 7 disposed inthe uppcrfportion of the frame directly above the screening member 8; a

'partially inclosed fan chamber 9 located in the bottom of the frame; and a reciprocatory rubber. 10 movable'aoro'ss the bars of the graterjfllhrmachine frame itself is supported upol'llegsw `11 whichv are arranged at having front and rear the corners thereof and are secured in any preferred manner to the bottom wall 12 of' said frame.

The rubber, which, with the screen includes the more important features ofthe case, comprises, as shown in Fig. 7, a rear member 14 and a front member 15, whose mutually-adjacent inner ends are rounded 4and are disposed in spaced relation to each l end of the chutel 18, the lower edges of said plates resting upon the body portion 23 of the rubber and forming, as it were, the walls of a hopper whose outlet is formed by the opening 16. v Each member of the hopper has secured to its under face, a series of spaced transverse ribs 24 semicircular in cross section.

The material to be shelled is fed to the hopper formed by the plates 21 and 22 and the shoulder 19, as above described, from a second hopper 25 which is inclined thereto and rests upon a wedge-shaped supporting block 26, carried by the wall 4 of the frame and the adjacent ends of the sides 1 and 2 as shown` in Figs. 1 and 2.

The reciprocation lof the rubber is effected from the main drive shaft 5, which latter is driven from any source of power (not shown), said drive shaft being provided with a crank portion 27, which is connected by a pitman 28 with a horizontal. pin 29 which isY secured to the rear wall of the shoulder 19, adjacent the upper edge thereof, said shoulder being notched at such point as indicated by the numeral 30 in Fig. 7, to facilitate the attachment of the pitman to said pin. Rotation of the drive shaft will therefore eect an endwise reciprocation of the rubber as a whole across the grate bars,

during which movement the rubber is held against displacement by rollers 31 which are loosely mounted u on pins supported as hereinafter describe the rollers on one wall being `disposed directly opposite those on the other wallf These rollers bear upon the upper fac vof the body portion 23 of the rubber an... thus prevent any upward movement 4and consequent displacement of the In the operation of the machine, as so far described, the eanuts or other material to be shelled will e discharged from the hopper 25 onto the chute 18 carried by the rear member of the rubber, whence they pass through the opening 16 and fall upon the grate bars. 'l'he movement of the rubber across the bars will therefore split the shells, which latter with the nuts, thus freed therefrom, will pass through the spaces between the grate bars 17, and will fall upon the screen member 8, the bars of the'grate being likewise disposed transversely thereof and in spaced relation to each other, as will be un 75 derstood, said bars being secured at opposite ends to the rails 32, which form ther` grate frame; (see Fig. 6).

The screening member, which is disposed directly beneath the grate, has a` downward inclination as shown in Fig. 2, and comprises a solid' upper section 33 and a hollow lower member 34, the last mentioned member having its side rails formed by extensions of the upper member, as shown in Fig. 8, said rails being connected at their free ends by an upwardly inclined plate', and being further connected by a transverse rib 36 which is parallel with said plate and is disposed a slight distance to the rear thereof to provide an outlet opening 37 herein after referred to. The upper faces of the side rails of said lower section are connected by a strip of wire gauze or other foraminous material 38 secured thereto by cleats 39, while their lower edges are in turn, connected by a sheet metal plate 40, the front edge of said plate terminating short of the adjacent edge of the rib 36 to provide a second discharge opening 41. The upper section of the screening member carries upon its under face adjacentthe upper edge thereof, a pair of depending perforated ears 42 disposed at the side edges and adapted to re-l ceive a horizontal pivot bar 43 u on which the screening member is rocked uring the movement of the shaking mechanism, Whose description now follows. This mechanism comprises a wedge-shaped member 44, pivoted at one corner of its base upon a pin 45 and provided at its opposite corner with a second pin 46 which projects throuo'h and beyond an arcuate slot 47 formed in t e rear wall of the frame. The projectin end of the last mentioned pin is connected y a link 48 with the ends of a strap 49 which embraces an eccentric 50 carried b the drive shaft. 'lhe upper end or apex o said member contacts with an arcuate rib 51 secured to the under face of the rear side rail of the lower screening member 34 directly beneath the rib 3G. By reason of this construction, it will be apparent that during the rotation of the drive shaft, the rocking member will oscillate u on its pivot 45 and, in conse- 125 quence, will impart a sharp upward'movement to the screening member as a whole by reason of its contact with the rib 51, thus eiiec'ting the requisite shaking movement of the screening member. In order to prevent 130 interference lwith the screening member dur- 'ing such movement., that portion of the adjaeent ,end wall of the machine is cutaway,

las shown in Figs. 1,-2 and 3.

falling through the meshes of the screen 38 upon theplate 40 from which they are dis charged through the opening 4l, While the shells which are too large to pass through the screen will be discharged through the opening 37, whence they fall onto a chutev :3l-l located therebeneatlf and are thus discharged from the machine. The nuts which pass through the opening 4l fallupon a chute 54 and are. discharged therefrom through an opening in the bottom wall 1 2 of .the casinghinto a receptacle and are collectv ed therein. It will be apparent, however,

^ ing through an opening that the shells-which are crushed by theaction of the rubber are often broken into pieces small enough to permit their passage through the meshes of the wire screen 38 and their subsequent discharge through Vthe opening 4l ontovthe chutc54. In order, therefore, to eifect the separation of such pieces from the nuts, the invention contemplates the Jrovision of a fan 55, which is located wit l1in the fan chamber 9 andis mounted upon a horizontal shaft 56, v'rotar tion of such shaft being effected by a belt 57 which passes around a pulley 58 mounted thereon and around a pulley 59 carried by the main drive shaft 5 adjacent the eccentric l50, 'the fan being partially closed by the casing 60 of its chamber, and its blast directed toward the chute 54 by means of upper and lower plates 61 and 62 respectively. The fan itself, as-shoWn in comprises a pair of circular disks 63 and 64 and a Kseries of vanes 65 connecting the same, the first mentioned plate being provided with an inlet openin 66. 4 l

The rollers 3l Which bear upon the longitudinal edges the'rubber are so mounted as to permit their adjustment, to compensate for Wear, each i'oller to this end being carried by a strap.

67, whose upper portion is provided with a vertical slot 68 through which a bolt.69 projects, the threaded stem of the bolt project- 1 formed in the rear wall 2 of the machine rame and being pro vided at such point with a tightening nut 70. [t is therefore possible to lower any one of the rollers toward the rubber on becoming Worn. f 4

The grate upon which the rubber operates, is as obviously stated, located in the upper portion of the machine frame and walls land 2.

Figs. 2 and 4 r of the body portion 23 of,

tal ribs 71 secured to the 4front and rear p lnasmuch, screen fabric 38 frequently becomes clogged by the nuts and crushed shells, it becomes necessary to remove the grateto permit a'e- `however, [as the cess to the screen, andvtot-hisend the end` wall 3 ofthe machine frame includes a hinged section located adjacent' the grater as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said section being retained in closed position by a turn buckle 73. The opposite end wall 4 likewise in+ cludes a similarly located section 74 held in place by thumb screws 75, thu's permitting the grate to be removed fro'nreitlier'end, itV being apparent that upon the rein'ov'a'l of,

the grate, access may likewise be had to the ribs of the rubber, for cleaningpurposcs. i

The operation of the machine is thought to be apparent from the foregoing descripL tion, it being understood that modifications and changes may obviously be made Wit-hin the scope of the appended claims, the inven tion not being limited to the exact details of construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

-1. In a shelling machine, the combination of a horizontal grate; arubber movable across the grate-bars and comprising front and rear members arranged 'in spaced relation to each other; a pivotally-mounted screen disposed beneath the grate; and

means for rocking said screen upon its `pivot.

2. In a shelling machine, the combination of a horizontal grate, a rubber movable across the grate-bars and comp'rising front and rear inembeisarranged in s aced relation to each other;',a chute carried by the rear member of the rubber for directing the material to be shelled into the s ace between said members; a horizontally-p voted screen disposed beneath the grate; and means for rocking said screen upon its ivot.

8. In a shelling machine, t e combination i of a horiz'ontal'grate; a rubber movable across the grate-bars and comprising front and vrear members arranged in spaced relation to eachother; a chute carried by the rear member of the rubber for directing the maerial to be shelled into the space between sai formedupon one of said members; a drive shaft; a` drivin connection between said shaft and shoul er, for reciprocating said rubber; a horizontally-pivoted screen disposed beneath the j grate; and, means for rocking said screen upon its ivot 4. IIn a shelling machine, tlffgcombination of a frame; a grate disposed ytherewithin; a reci rocatory rubber movable across the gratears and including a slotted body or.

tion 'and a hopper mounted thereon; ro 1ers members 5 an' upstanding' shoulder` a downwardly-inclined screening -memher' disposed beneath the grate, said member comprising a solid upper section provided with longitudinal extensions adapted to form side rails, a rib connecting said rails,

a screening fabrcfsecured to the upper faces of said rib ,and rails, and a solid plate-securedl tor the lower faces of said rails, said plate terminating short of said rib, to prof vide a feed opening.

6. The combination, in a shelling machine,

of a frame; a grate disposed theiewithin;l

and a rubber movable across the grate-bars, said rubber comprising a front member vand a rear member having their mutually-ad` jacent inner ends arran ed in spaced relation to each other, to provi e an opening Vfor -the material to be shelled to pass to the grate.

7. The Combination, in a shelling machine,

of a frame; a grate disposed therewithin;

and a'rubber movable across the grate-bars, said rubber comprising a front member and a rear member having their mutually-ad jacent inner ends arranged in spaced relation to each other, to provide an opening for the material to be shelled to pass to the grate, each member of said rubber having a series of transversely-disposed ribs secured to its under face.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

. ROBERT M. NEVVLAND. 

